US requires air travellers to certify Ebola status
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sowetan
From 3 November, all air passengers travelling to the United States will have to certify that they have not stayed in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the previous 21 days. The measure aims to limit the introduction of Ebola, whose outbreak has killed about 4,700 people in Africa, according to Reuters.
Air travellers bound for the United States will soon have to certify that they have not stayed in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the 21 days before their departure. The new measure from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will take effect on 3 November, according to a government memo seen by Reuters on Thursday.
All passengers concerned, including US citizens, will have to complete a digital or paper certification. Airlines will receive instructions from the CDC on Friday on how to implement the requirement, Reuters reports.
The United States has already barred foreign nationals who have stayed in Uganda or South Sudan during the previous three weeks from entering since the start of the year. The 2026 outbreak, linked to the Bundibugyo strain, is believed to have killed about 4,700 people in Africa, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. No case associated with this outbreak has been reported in the United States to date, the CDC said.
